Nelson school is facing ‘big challenge’ in English

A PRIMARY school has been told to improve after standards in English lagged at key stages.

Formerly a ‘good’ school, St John Southworth RC School, Nelson, has been rated as ‘requires improvement’ in its latest Ofsted inspection.

The school is said to be experiencing a big challenge with English with more than 60 per cent of pupils speaking it as an additional language.

Headteacher Chris Higgins said the school was becoming well prepared to handle an influx of non-English speakers.

The school has a majority of pupils of Pakistani heritage with an increasing number of pupils joining with Eastern European backgrounds.

Mr Higgins, who joined the school in September along with with a new deputy, said all staff had undergone training to teach English as a foreign language.

Inspectors noted that the leadership team was new and said the school was ‘steadily improving and well placed to continue to do so’.

Lead inspector David Byrne said: “Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and achieve well from starting points that are typically below expectations for their age.

“The school is a safe, secure and welcoming community. Pupils from different backgrounds get on well together, playing and working alongside one another in harmony.

“A wide range of activities extends pupils’ knowledge of the world and promotes good spiritual, social, moral and cultural awareness.

“A legacy of underachievement remains, however. Standards are still, at best, average in reading, writing and mathematics; the most able pupils are not yet making consistently good progress, and standards in spelling, punctuation and grammar are below average at Key Stage 2.”

Mr Higgins added: “When children come with little English, we are now well placed to give the support they need.

“I was pleased that Ofsted noticed our accelerated progress and our children’s excellent behaviour and the way they take care of one another.

Snowy-D wrote:
What a shame for the children who do speak English as their main language as this must be holding them back from developing and reaching their full potential .

I think as an Asian bought up in this country and gone through this countrys education system, I am more dissapointed in the families of theses kids, clearly English is not being put forward as the main language.

As my grandad use to say (he lived in Pakistan) when relatives of mine saw the fact I couldn't speak Punjabi as a weakness, he said whats he going to do with punjabi in the UK.

[quote][p][bold]Snowy-D[/bold] wrote:
What a shame for the children who do speak English as their main language as this must be holding them back from developing and reaching their full potential .[/p][/quote]I think as an Asian bought up in this country and gone through this countrys education system, I am more dissapointed in the families of theses kids, clearly English is not being put forward as the main language.
As my grandad use to say (he lived in Pakistan) when relatives of mine saw the fact I couldn't speak Punjabi as a weakness, he said whats he going to do with punjabi in the UK.Openminded?

Following on from our conversation last night - A classic and specific example of the impact of uncontrolled immigration that directly impacts on me i.e tax payers having to fund additional resources to help schools address pupils with English as a second language.

It is absolutely appalling that Pakistani families are still sending their children to school without English language skills.

20 - 30 years ago - fine, but not in 2014 !

Following on from our conversation last night - A classic and specific example of the impact of uncontrolled immigration that directly impacts on me i.e tax payers having to fund additional resources to help schools address pupils with English as a second language.
It is absolutely appalling that Pakistani families are still sending their children to school without English language skills.
20 - 30 years ago - fine, but not in 2014 !Biscay

Biscay wrote:
Following on from our conversation last night - A classic and specific example of the impact of uncontrolled immigration that directly impacts on me i.e tax payers having to fund additional resources to help schools address pupils with English as a second language.

It is absolutely appalling that Pakistani families are still sending their children to school without English language skills.

20 - 30 years ago - fine, but not in 2014 !

Which I agree, this is not acceptable.

But you say this is a example of what I was looking for last night.

You said the culture of these immigrants are being forced upon you, and you never answered that, and then the nice people at LET censored out conversation, shame on them!

So I ask, yes this impacts you, but from your own wording, what have been forced on you which you don't like? If you were wrong to say that or said it in the wrong way, then say so...

Atleast we can have a grown up conversation unlike the others on here !

[quote][p][bold]Biscay[/bold] wrote:
Following on from our conversation last night - A classic and specific example of the impact of uncontrolled immigration that directly impacts on me i.e tax payers having to fund additional resources to help schools address pupils with English as a second language.
It is absolutely appalling that Pakistani families are still sending their children to school without English language skills.
20 - 30 years ago - fine, but not in 2014 ![/p][/quote]Which I agree, this is not acceptable.
But you say this is a example of what I was looking for last night.
You said the culture of these immigrants are being forced upon you, and you never answered that, and then the nice people at LET censored out conversation, shame on them!
So I ask, yes this impacts you, but from your own wording, what have been forced on you which you don't like? If you were wrong to say that or said it in the wrong way, then say so...
Atleast we can have a grown up conversation unlike the others on here !Openminded?

Snowy-D wrote:
What a shame for the children who do speak English as their main language as this must be holding them back from developing and reaching their full potential .

I think as an Asian bought up in this country and gone through this countrys education system, I am more dissapointed in the families of theses kids, clearly English is not being put forward as the main language.

As my grandad use to say (he lived in Pakistan) when relatives of mine saw the fact I couldn't speak Punjabi as a weakness, he said whats he going to do with punjabi in the UK.

EXACTLY !!!!!

[quote][p][bold]Openminded?[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Snowy-D[/bold] wrote:
What a shame for the children who do speak English as their main language as this must be holding them back from developing and reaching their full potential .[/p][/quote]I think as an Asian bought up in this country and gone through this countrys education system, I am more dissapointed in the families of theses kids, clearly English is not being put forward as the main language.
As my grandad use to say (he lived in Pakistan) when relatives of mine saw the fact I couldn't speak Punjabi as a weakness, he said whats he going to do with punjabi in the UK.[/p][/quote]EXACTLY !!!!!ConcernedOssy

Biscay wrote:
Following on from our conversation last night - A classic and specific example of the impact of uncontrolled immigration that directly impacts on me i.e tax payers having to fund additional resources to help schools address pupils with English as a second language.

It is absolutely appalling that Pakistani families are still sending their children to school without English language skills.

20 - 30 years ago - fine, but not in 2014 !

Which I agree, this is not acceptable.

But you say this is a example of what I was looking for last night.

You said the culture of these immigrants are being forced upon you, and you never answered that, and then the nice people at LET censored out conversation, shame on them!

So I ask, yes this impacts you, but from your own wording, what have been forced on you which you don't like? If you were wrong to say that or said it in the wrong way, then say so...

Atleast we can have a grown up conversation unlike the others on here !

The issue is forced/imposed on me by default through the taxation system.
The Pakistani families who send their children to the school are either not bothered about their children's English language skills or for cultural or religious reasons prefer them not to have English as their first language.
Fine - no problem with that, that is their choice.
But - why should general taxation have to pick up the extra cost of this cultural choice- when the first language in the UK is English?
Could I expect the same in France, Germany, Pakistan, India etc

[quote][p][bold]Openminded?[/bold] wrote:
[quote][p][bold]Biscay[/bold] wrote:
Following on from our conversation last night - A classic and specific example of the impact of uncontrolled immigration that directly impacts on me i.e tax payers having to fund additional resources to help schools address pupils with English as a second language.
It is absolutely appalling that Pakistani families are still sending their children to school without English language skills.
20 - 30 years ago - fine, but not in 2014 ![/p][/quote]Which I agree, this is not acceptable.
But you say this is a example of what I was looking for last night.
You said the culture of these immigrants are being forced upon you, and you never answered that, and then the nice people at LET censored out conversation, shame on them!
So I ask, yes this impacts you, but from your own wording, what have been forced on you which you don't like? If you were wrong to say that or said it in the wrong way, then say so...
Atleast we can have a grown up conversation unlike the others on here ![/p][/quote]The issue is forced/imposed on me by default through the taxation system.
The Pakistani families who send their children to the school are either not bothered about their children's English language skills or for cultural or religious reasons prefer them not to have English as their first language.
Fine - no problem with that, that is their choice.
But - why should general taxation have to pick up the extra cost of this cultural choice- when the first language in the UK is English?
Could I expect the same in France, Germany, Pakistan, India etcBiscay